The Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture at the University of Oklahoma (OU) is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. John Harris to a four-year term as the inaugural Director of the Division of Planning, Landscape Architecture & Design (PLAD), effective July 1, 2024.
“I have great confidence in Dr. Harris’s preparedness to lead PLAD and take its programs to new heights,” offered Dean Hans E. Butzer FAIA. “There’s a clear path to his professional development and ascendence through various leadership roles that together suggest PLAD will continue to be in good hands.”
Harris, an associate professor of Regional and City Planning, has a distinguished career as a scholar specializing in informal urbanization in Sub-Saharan Africa. His research has been published in top journals, including World Development, Journal of Planning Education and Research, and Gender, Place and Culture. He has been an integral part of Gibbs College, previously serving as the director of the Division of Regional and City Planning. His leadership and vision have been pivotal during his tenure as interim director of PLAD, where he has already made significant strides in fostering collaboration and enhancing the division’s image externally.
Harris said, “After spending a year as interim PLAD director, I am excited to continue working with great colleagues and students in the Division of Planning Landscape Architecture, and Design.”
The new PLAD Division was created through the administrative consolidation of four separate Gibbs College divisions and programs: Environmental Design, Landscape Architecture, Regional and City Planning, and Urban Design. By bringing these programs together, Gibbs College aims to foster a stronger teaching, research, and service environment, facilitate more collaborations between faculty and students, and optimize administrative and operational efficiencies. This consolidation has enhanced the educational experiences of students and expanded the impact of the college’s research and community engagement efforts.
Under Harris’s interim leadership, PLAD’s first year set the tone for good things to come. PLAD welcomed a $500,000 gift to its Regional and City Planning (RCPL) program. The gift, from the Estate of Ralph Ochsner, will support students and faculty for many years to come. Landscape Architecture students worked hand in hand with the Institute for Quality Communities on multiple projects including collaborative partnerships with the Osage Nation and City of Tahlequah. The Urban Design Studio made progress on creating the Oklahoma State Housing Assessment. RCPL students helped the City of Spencer complete a new comprehensive plan and worked with the Department of Environmental Quality to create the state’s first ever Priority Climate Action Plan. Its Environmental Design program achieved its highest enrollment ever and a growing alumni network. PLAD added several wonderful new faculty colleagues, and even hired its first tenure track faculty member, Dr. Ladan Mozaffarian.
“I am truly impressed by the ongoing accomplishments of my PLAD colleagues,” said Harris. “We are doing transformative work. Now, the collaborative sprit of PLAD allows us to grow our impact on the state and the world.”
As PLAD Director, Harris will seek to continue building momentum for the newly founded division. Among his priorities will be the Environmental design program’s continued growth, expanding teaching and research opportunities between the Planning and Landscape Architecture programs, and the broadening of the division’s relationship with the OU Institute for Quality Communities and Tulsa-based Urban Design Studio.
Harris will also be responsible for enhancing interdisciplinary collaborations within the college and across the university. Harris will coordinate closely with the Deans regarding program resourcing and success metrics, student enrollment, and faculty development. Additionally, he will work closely with the Dean and College’s Director of Development to help meet fund-raising and endowment goals.
Please join us in congratulating John Harris on his new role as the director of the Division of Planning, Landscape Architecture and Design.